


Microblogging

by A Caffeinated Crisis (TabbbyWright)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: AU where Lightning wins, Age Difference, Cohabitation, Drunken titty grabbing, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Genderswap, Hanoi!Yusaku AU (but also a genderswap AU), Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mild Angst, Miyu n jin are probably ooc, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ryoken is eternally "how much can a banana cost? $10?" meme, Sorry I write Ryoken like he's from Arrested Development, TakeRyo TOOK ME OUT AT THE KNEES, bottom!ryoken, lightning!Yusaku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2019-10-23 10:01:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 4,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17681330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbbyWright/pseuds/A%20Caffeinated%20Crisis
Summary: Drabbles for various ships and ideas that are too short for their own work, and I'm not expecting to expand on. Most of these will have been posted on my Twitter previously! Ship and rating will be noted in the chapter title.Chapter 1 now serves as the index for info about all the ficlets!15) [G][Spectre/Ryoken] Always out of reach.16) [T][Miyu/Jin] Distraction17) [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Common Sense & Intelligence18) [G][Takeru/Ryoken] What Are You? Poor?





	1. Index

**1: Index**

**2: [G][Ryoken/Takeru] Your Gaze**

> Ryoken sees something appealing in Takeru.

**3: [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Absolute Suffering**

> The Hanoi were a cakewalk compared to gym class.

**4: [T][Takeru/Yusaku] Obvious to Everyone But You**

> Early morning self esteem questions.

**5: [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Expectations vs Outcomes**

> Wasn't love a loud and all consuming thing?

**6: [M][Yusaku/Ryoken] Let Me Touch Them**

> Yusaku is drunk, Ryoken has nice tiddy.

**7: [G][Aoi/Emma] Swatch**

> Aoi keeps surprising her.

**8: [G][Yusaku & Ryoken] At a Loss**

> It all adds up to nothing.

**9: [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Gone**

> Lightning won.

**10: [G][Multi] Tweet Fics**

> Tiny twitter drabbles. Some of these are untagged bc they're so small, but include: EmmaAkira, FlameTakeru, TakeruYusaku, KusanagiYusaku, AiYusaku and a tiny Lightning drabble!

**11: [M][Ryoka/Yusako] Birthday Spoils**

> Genderswap!RyoYusa, and also Hanoi!Yusa AU.  
>  Ryoka went the whole nine yards with dressing up Yusako however she wanted.

**12: [G] Vignette about the lost incident kids in general.**

> Just a random muse about them. 

**13: [G][Aoi/Emma] Pick Up The Pieces**

> Aoi lost, Aoi fell, but she didn't fall into nothing, and she can get back up again. 

**14: [T][Ryoken/Yusaku] Yearning, Fixation, Infatuation**

> What does it feel like to touch a dream?

**15: [G][Spectre/Ryoken] Want.**

> Always out of reach. 

**16: [T][Miyu/Jin] Distraction**

> Sometimes when you're falling apart, all you need is a distraction. 

**17: [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Common Sense & Intelligence**

> Takeru isn't a genius, but that's fine, he doesn't need to be. 

**18: [G][Takeru/Ryoken] What Are You? Poor?**

> Ryoken is sleeping on Takeru's couch and cannot comprehend why his apartment is so small.


	2. [G][Ryoken/Takeru] Your Gaze

There was something refreshing in the way that Soulburner looked at Revolver--fury and hate and a broken heart in his two toned eyes, a stark contrast to Yusaku's ferocity coupled with kindness and hope. The way Soulburner looked at Ryoken made the guilt of what happened hurt anew. Ryoken was not a good person, he didn't want to encourage Yusaku's delusions of that idea, but he couldn't help but reveal himself to Soulburner--to Takeru--to give him something so he'd feel less vulnerable. Apologies within a name:

"I am Ryoken Kogami."

**/ / /**

"I'll never let you take Flame."

Furious, Takeru had thrown Ryoken up against the side of the hot dog truck, lilac eyes burning. So much love for a program... Ryoken couldn't imagine.

**/ / /**

Unexpected companionship came when Takeru mentioned offhandedly "It sucks, doesn't it?"

Snapped out of his daze, Ryoken tried to push the anniversary from his mind.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about your dad."

"No, you're not."

"You think?" Takeru looked at Ryoken steadily, "I'm not sorry he's gone, you're right. I _am_ sorry that you lost your dad."

Things were quiet, Ryoken letting it sink in. He couldn't speak up, didn't know what to say, but Takeru was right: it did 'suck.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the shippiest, but listen: if I continued this, they would have messy makeouts. Their chemistry is REAL GOOD.


	3. [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Absolute Suffering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hanoi were a cakewalk compared to gym class.

Physical exertion had always been something Takeru enjoyed. He liked exercise, the tired that came with it, hell he liked sweating--there was something particularly satisfying about showering after being high on endorphins and then washing it all away. A pleasant kind of buzz. He thought maybe Yusaku would come to enjoy this kind of thing if he tried it, but Yusaku shut it down immediately. Really, Takeru should've expected it, given that Yusaku had the muscle mass of a newborn kitten.

But then, they were in gym class together, and they had a teacher new to the school, one who paid attention when Yusaku cut class and one who knew his doctor's note was fake. Dealing with either thing was apparently too much of a pain for Yusaku so he just... Showed up. Hated every second of it and leveled Takeru with a glare when he dared to ask if Yusaku liked it at all. Really, Yusaku, someone who could withstand so much pain and had taken down the Knights of Hanoi being so _mad_ about _gym class_ was almost funny.

But he didn't want Yusaku to be mad at him, so he stopped asking.

It was a little disappointing though that Yusaku hated this so much, because Yusaku... Yusaku looked really, _really_ good when he was frustrated and sweaty and wearing one of Takeru's tank tops that was too big and slipped off his shoulder a bit. With a baseball bat slung across his shoulders, glaring across the field at their teacher, Yusaku somehow managed to be more striking that usual.

"What do you think I have to do to get out of this?"

"I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can do, Yusaku..."

"Hm." Yusaku passed the bat to Takeru, done with having the energy to lift it. The usual thing.

Takeru felt a little bad for enjoying seeing Yusaku like this but... It wasn't like there was anything they could do to get him out of class, so _one_ of them might as well enjoy Yusaku being all sweaty and tired.


	4. [T][Takeru/Yusaku] Obvious to Everyone But You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Early morning self esteem questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by this piece of fanart that twitter blessed my eyes with: https://twitter.com/HIBIYAYAYA/status/1045731630164275200
> 
> I lost the original document for this so this one DID receive some mild editing.

Looking in the mirror, it occurred to Takeru that maybe-- _maybe--_ he was (maybe) an attractive person. Maybe. He hadn't really thought about it before. Initially, he hadn't cared, then, he was more focused on friendships, growing up, (and his crush on Yusaku and the baseball captain), to think about  _being_ attractive to other people. After that, e got together with Yusaku, and Yusaku had to think he was at least a little attractive or they wouldn't be dating, right? He knew Yusaku liked his dick, anyway. 

... What if Yusaku only liked that? Maybe he was getting ahead of himself here. 

"You left the bed cold."

Takeru startled at Yusaku entering the bathroom, relaxed when he felt Yusaku put an arm on his back, reaching around him to grab his toothbrush. He stepped to the side a bit so Yusaku could use the sink, glanced back at the mirror. He ran his fingers through his hair, the slight length that was apparently enough to weight down some of the fluffiness it was prone to. 

He supposed he looked more mature, maybe? He didn't feel like an awkward teenager anymore. Didn't look like one in clothes too big for his frame as he desperately tried to survive a last minute growth spurt he couldn't really afford. 

"Hey, um, Yusaku?"

"What?"

This was impulsive this was impulsive this was  _impulsive--_

"Do you. Um. Find me attractive?"

Stupid question, weird question, Yusaku was giving him one of his 'why is this a question' looks. 

Yusaku spit into the sink. Rinsed. As usual, Yusaku was unconcerned with answering a question that made Takeru kind of anxious. Which meant the answer was super obvious to Yusaku at least. This really was a dumb question he'd asked, wasn't it?

"Of course I do," Yusaku finally answered, "I'm not blind."

"Oh." It  _was_ a stupid question. 

Yusaku looked up at Takeru, hint of concern in his vibrant, green eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Sorry." Takeru felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Stupid, stupid, stupid--

"You don't notice the way people look at you?"

"W-What way?"

"The 'I'd be interested in fucking him' way?" The way Yusaku said it, as if there was no other way to look at a person that meant anything.

Takeru blanked, not knowing at all how to respond to that, his cheeks burning even more.

"I'm gonna go start the rice cooker." Yusaku said, leaving the bathroom before Takeru could figure out his reply. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just... Takeru with slightly longer hair is a rly good look okay... don't look at me.


	5. [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Expectations vs Outcomes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't love a loud and all consuming thing?

In the romance novels Yusaku read, love was intense and overwhelming, an all consuming experience that filled your head with thoughts of them, made your heart skip beats and your stomach flutter with nerves. You felt _right_ with that person and _wrong_ with everyone else.

Yusaku couldn't say he'd ever experienced those things. The only thing that made his stomach feel weird and his heart skip beats was anxiety, exercise, or a good duel.

**/ / /**

The love Yusaku knew had been a quiet, sneaky thing. It had been fondness and friendship before it became something else, without him noticing. It grew and found connections that he had long thought were all destroyed.

It didn't occur to him that the warmth and comfort, the safety and happiness, the desire and the relaxing silence, were things that also made up love.


	6. [M][Yusaku/Ryoken] Let Me Touch Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusaku is drunk, Ryoken has nice tiddy.

Yusaku felt warm, kind of like he was floating. He had  _maybe_ had too many drinks, but he felt good so surely it was fine. 

But where was Ryoken?

Yusaku looked around, reminding himself he needed to be sophisticated or something. Something stupid, but something that meant he  _shouldn't_ just pull Ryoken's pants down in front of everyone. 

Right. 

Yusaku Fujiki had his shit together. He was not drunk. Okay, he was definitely drunk, that was a lie.

He spotted Ryoken off to the side, alone finally. This dumb party had kept Ryoken busy and left Yusaku bored. He made a beeline for his boyfriend, stopping himself at the last moment from grabbing his ass (after all, it was  _right there_ ). Instead, he cleared his throat.

"Ryoken."

"Are you drunk, Yusaku?"

"Definitely."

Ryoken frowned and Yusaku looked around again, making sure no one was close.

"We need to go. I need to fuck you." Yusaku said simply, putting his hands on Ryoken's chest, annoyed that Ryoken was in his stupid fancy suit that made it  _impossible_ for Yusaku to feel his nipples.

"Yusaku!" Ryoken hissed, grabbing Yusaku's wrists and holding them away, "What are you doing?!"

"Trying to touch your chest?"

" _Why?_ "

"You have nice nipples."

"... What."

"I said you have ni--"

"You're really drunk."

"Yes. And horny."

"Obviously."

"We should go now, so I can--mff!"

Ryoken let go of one of Yusaku's hands to clap it over his mouth. He looked kind of frustrated, and Yusaku was a little disappointed he didn't look more flustered. Yusaku was hot, shouldn't Ryoken be beside himself with desire right now? Yusaku  _really_ wanted to fuck him, and yet Ryoken was calm about it.

"Mffff." Yusaku rolled his eyes at Ryoken. 

"Five minutes. We'll go in five minutes." Ryoken said. 

Yusaku couldn't help but think that was an awful long time, but fine. He could wait. 

... Probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JP VRAINS Twitter one day just? Covered my timeline with nipple pinching emoji and someone shitposting about how much they loved Ryoken's nipples? I learned the word "chikubi" that day and it pleases me. 
> 
> Anyway, I was attempting to write Datastorm at the time, so lo and behold This Happened, a rare instance where Ryoken and Yusaku have some fun chemistry and also, Yusaku is (gasp) a top. This is also the first fic I've posted that lets me talk about how I think Yusaku would be a horny, weirdly aggressive drunk.
> 
> (Somewhere in the distance, Spectre plots Yusaku's death).


	7. [G][Aoi/Emma] Swatch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoi keeps surprising her.

"Nice lipstick, Blue Maiden." Emma said, smiling playfully. Really, nice _everything_ , but she couldn't let all her compliments out in one go now could she? Aoi smiled in return, her new avatar fitting her better than Blue Angel or Blue Girl ever had, carrying a charisma that was both familiar and new.

"Want a swatch?"

Before Emma could respond, Aoi had taken her hand, kissed the back of her uncovered fingers and left a pink stain in the shape of her lips. In an instant, Aoi had logged out, and Emma was left starstruck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this extremely good tweet](https://twitter.com/pastajpeg/status/1075340755219218433). Aoi is this kind of powerful lesbian, 100%.


	8. [G][Yusaku & Ryoken] At a Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all adds up to nothing.

 Anymore, all Yusaku Fujiki had was a memory: a fragile, weak thing that threatened to crumble if he focused on it too long, if he tried to pull details from it. A memory of the person that led to his kidnapping, a memory of the last friend he ever made.

**/ / /**

To put one and two together, to have the memory strengthen into something he could look at, to realize his savior of a voice (Ryoken) was the same person who kidnapped him (sorta) was relieving and sickening in equal parts. The last friend he had made was his enemy, was someone who rejected him.

Yusaku was used to being alone, but to have this come together and him realize he had nothing and no one (human) was almost too much.

What was he supposed to do?


	9. [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightning won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screw is a blessing and I'm bad at describing (esp ygo charas) so please visualize this for lightning!Yusaku, thanks: https://twitter.com/screw000/status/1091759458986782720?s=19

**_"Playmaker!"_ **

Takeru heard the scream before he processed that it was _his_ voice and _him_ screaming as he saw Yusaku's LP hit zero. It had been close--so close. Yusaku who always thought ten moves ahead... He had the win! It was his until it wasn't.

Jin and Lightning, as much of a mess as Yusaku and Ai, crossed the field as Takeru stood helpless on the tarmac. He was stuck on this stupid tarmac, he couldn't summon his board he couldn't go anywhere he couldn't _help_.

Takeru couldn't do anything as Yusaku's avatar dissolved into light and the transmission cut out.

**/ / /**

When Yusaku didn't wake up, Takeru went into VRAINS and searched. Weeks passed with no luck. Aoi couldn't find him, neither could Emma or Kusanagi. Flame was just as much at a loss. He was at the plaza, listening and praying for any scrap of information, frustration building, as he looked over everyone, the bears the monkeys the people...

"Soulburner."

Takeru turned around, his breath catching in his throat. Yusaku's voice, an avatar akin to Playmaker but not...

His familiar green eyes sparkled with yellow, and a smile was on his lips.

"Y--" Takeru swallowed, "Playmaker." He couldn't think he couldn't breathe he didn't know what to do in the face of someone so familiar but wrong.

"Lightning-sama sent me to speak to you." He said, still smiling, looking a strange kind of content that didn't fit Yusaku at all, "He wants to know if you and Flame have reconsidered being against us."

_"Us?"_ Takeru stared, "He brainwashed you?!"

Playmaker tapped a finger against his lips, looking thoughtful, "No, Lightning-sama helped me. He's not wrong--humans are awful, they can't be trusted to not hurt others out of selfishness."

Playmaker cupped Takeru's cheeks, "We're proof of that, aren't we?"

"Y-You're not Yusaku. Yusaku had faith in people--he didn't believe in enslaving them!"

Playmaker blinked slowly, "I'm still me, just better."


	10. [G][Multi] Tweet Fics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiny twitter drabbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did that Twitter thing where you write a tweet length ficlet in response to a prompt and WELL I LIKED THEM ENOUGH TO DUMP THEM INTO THIS ONE CHAPTER. 
> 
> I'm not tagging ships for these bc it feels shitty to do that for like... 280 characters of content, tops.

**Takeru/Yusaku: Retirement Funds**

"Nnn..."

"What're you stressing about now?"

Takeru scowled and sighed, setting his phone aside, "My grandma keeps nagging... When are we getting married, when are we adopting kids, what are we gonna do about retirement... I can't think that far ahead!"

"So don't."

** Flame/Takeru: Holding Hands **

Flame's tendril pressed into Takeru's palm, their bodies pressed together, Flame touching everywhere and filling him. Overwhelming heat and love, Takeru wrapped his fingers around Flame's 'hand' and squeezed as he came upon the precipice of pleasure.

**Lightning: Life**

Humans were curious creatures, so often insisting that life was some beautiful thing and in the same breath wasting it, or insisting that some deserved life less than others, or that war was necessary. Wasteful, wasteful creatures. No wonder they didn't think twice about killing him.

But really, could you kill something that didn't have a beating heart?

**Emma/Akira: Coffee Brewing**

4AM, Akira was just starting his day while Emma had been up all night. Not that this was abnormal for them--it was part of their rhythm, as was Akira setting the water to boil, grinding the coffee and putting it in the filter. It was a simple way to spend some time together.

**Kusanagi/Yusaku: Guilt**

It had been impulsive and desperate: a mistake. All he wanted was to protect Yusaku--to feel that he was _alive_ and _there_. He wasn't sure why he'd done it, he hated that he had. Yusaku was the same age as Jin--how could he be with Yusaku the way he had?

He felt sick.

**Ai/Yusaku: First Kiss**

Ai cupped Yusaku's cheeks with his tentacle, his one eye narrowed in focus.

"Hmm..."

"What are you doing?"

"I can't figure out how to kiss you!"

"You're overthinking it."

Yusaku leaned in, pressing his lips against Ai's too-smooth closed mouth.

"See?"

"We're doing that again."


	11. [M][Ryoka/Yusako] Birthday Spoils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genderswap!RyoYusa, and also Hanoi!Yusa AU. 
> 
> Ryoka went the whole nine yards with dressing up Yusako however she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavily inspired by [the Hanoi Yusaku AU by PharaohFucker96](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15933875/chapters/37153664).
> 
> tl;dr Yusako is a Knight of Hanoi and she and Ryoka are ABSOLUTELY DATING.

“Mm…” Ryoka ran her fingers across Yusako’s jaw, lightly mussing the ends of her girlfriend’s freshly cut hair, “I knew this would suit you.”

“You said all the time how much you liked it long so I left it alone and then you suggest _this._ ” Yusako rolled her eyes, running her fingers through what was left of her hair, barely hitting her chin. She couldn’t say she hated it, after all this was going to be a lot easier to deal with than when it was past her shoulders, but still: this entire thing was absurd. The short, black, cocktail dress, the shoes, the earrings, her hair--it was over the top.

“You’re contrary.”

“It’s my birthday and you said I could have anything I wanted.”

“I regret it.”

Ryoka smirked, kissed Yusako quickly, slid a hand across her bare thigh.

“Tomorrow we go back to the mission, tomorrow you can go back to wearing your crappy clothes.” Ryoka said, kissing Yusako again.

“But that’s tomorrow. Tonight, I want us to enjoy ourselves a little more.”

“Mm. Fine.”


	12. [G] To Be Saved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vignette about the lost incident kids in general.

The kids had been saved once, lifted by strong arms from their snow white hell into the sun, the green of the forest and the blue of the sky. Saved once, some were lifted up, supported when they stumbled through survival. Only so much could be done though, only so much trust exchanged as the kids grew and stood on unsteady legs.

The kids would be saved twice, pulled forward by hands that only could grip a single finger, out of their stagnant days and into an infinite future. Saved twice, tiny creatures could become monsters with too many limbs, helping them continue forward even when they were tired and unsteady and afraid. It was small things that made a big difference, the desire to protect meeting perfectly with the desire to be strong: mutual support.

To move forward was to face the past and know you had survived it. To know you survived was more than the sun on your skin and blue filling up your vision. To really feel the sun on your skin and have the world fill up your eyes, it took something much smaller and much larger than you to guide you.

Sometimes, you have to be saved twice to be able to move from surviving and on to living.


	13. [G][Aoi/Emma] Pick Up The Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoi lost, Aoi fell, but she didn't fall into nothing, and she can get back up again.

Everything was a foggy void until it was too familiar bright lights overhead and her brother's touch, his hand firmly gripping hers. So shocked at being alive, it was a whirlwind and she didn't even notice she was crying until he was holding her.

**/ / /**

A week out of the hospital and now she was getting hugged by Emma, so tightly she almost couldn't breathe, but she eagerly soaked up that heat and security.

"Aoi, you were amazing." Aoi could hear the admiration, the relief in Emma's voice.

Amazing, but not good enough, and in the end it had been okay because she wasn't alone anymore. She had allies, and if her loss was part of what gave Playmaker the edge to win, so be it.

The hug finally broke and Emma snuck a kiss on her cheek.

"Do you wanna come over for a while? Watch a bad romcom?"

"I'd like that, yeah."

**/ / /**

The first time Aoi rode on the back of Emma's bike, she'd screamed and when she stepped off, she was shaking.

Now she only felt secure, pressed against Emma's back. Emma wouldn't let anything happen to her. She wouldn't fall, she wouldn't get hurt.

But even if she did, someone would be there to lift her up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If i expanded on this, I'd probably get more into Aoi's relationship with Akira buuutttt I wanted to focus on my ship lol


	14. [T][Ryoken/Yusaku] Yearning, Fixation, Infatuation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it feel like to touch a dream?

In between the nightmares, Yusaku would dream of his voice--the soft, quiet voice reminding him of  _ “Three. Think of three things. Three things to live. Three things to go home. Three things to defeat the enemy.” _

When he would wake up, alone in his room, he held on to the fragments of the voice as long as he could, until they faded from his memory and he couldn’t draw them back. Not until another dream brought them to the surface again, a tantalizing memory of someone so familiar and so far gone. 

**/ / /**

Yusaku wasn’t the affectionate type, not really, but the moment it clicked, that Revolver was his voice, his hope, the person who saved him, Yusaku  _ yearned. _ He wanted to touch him, feel him, know that this ghost that only lived in his memories was  _ real _ . The distance between them was tangible, reminding Yusaku that Revolver--Ryoken--was but a distant thing that he would never be able to touch, never be able to make his memories of a sweet child, a soft voice, into something tangible, anything more than a dream. 

**/ / /**

He didn’t know how it happened, he didn’t know how he ended up on the floor of Ryoken’s house, Ryoken underneath him, first annoyed, then confused. 

“Are you going to get up?” 

Their positions left only a sliver of distance between them, the closest Yusaku had ever been to touching, to fully  _ realizing _ the reality of the voice, the last connection he made before he was too broken to anymore. 

He couldn’t say if it was lust or just hunger, years of desperation and ache, but he leaned down, kissed Ryoken, was met by confused and then suddenly pliant lips. He let himself touch, to drown in the sensation of feeling him against his skin. 

He tasted like nothing, felt like the comforting heat of his blankets and something inside of him soothed. Ryoken pulled him closer, bodies pressing together, and Yusaku couldn’t help but feel that this was what it was like to drown inside your dreams. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Pachi I thought datastorm was your NOTP" WELL IT IS but SOMETIMES, PEOPLE POST BEAUTIFUL ART AND I AM POWERLESS TO NOT COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO TRY AND CAPTURE THAT TENDERNESS? This is supposed to be tender anyway, idk if I accomplished that. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed, despite my absolute STRUGGLES with this ship.


	15. [G][Spectre/Ryoken] Want.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Always out of reach.

Ryoken was always out of Spectre's grasp, just beyond his touch. The mission was closest to Ryoken, to his heart, to his everything. It was always about the mission, would always be about the mission, and it was so wrong to want anything but the privilege of being by Ryoken's side.

And yet, Spectre wanted.

When they were younger, these boundaries weren't so sharp, the distance between them was nonexistent. Ryoken was always in Spectre's reach, someone that Spectre could touch and could feel and connect with like no one before.

When they were younger, Ryoken was lighter. Not weightless, but a child as Spectre was, sometimes. Even with the stress of the loss of his father, his father's comatose return, Ryoken would show Spectre things, get childishly upset about things, show Spectre confidence that only children could possess.

Sometimes, he would dare to say that Ryoken was happy. No, as the _person_ who was closest to Ryoken, this was the truth. Ryoken hadn't had that weightless happiness in a long, long time though. The weight of the mission and humanity's future on his shoulders, unreadable guilt whenever his father was a topic.

He wanted to be able to touch Ryoken again, to be able to touch him and feel him and see confidence cross Ryoken's face, see his happiness, whether Spectre was a part of that or not.

Spectre wanted Ryoken, all the things that made him so admirable and perfect, all the things that made him human.


	16. [T][Miyu/Jin] Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when you're falling apart, all you need is a distraction.

There was something grounding about kissing Miyu, the way she lazily put her arms around Jin's shoulders, the way she was perfectly relaxed against him, warm and comfortable. It had been so hard to think, so hard to piece together a thought, sorry through phantom panic that ate at his nerves that had no source anymore.

He moved to deepen the kiss, wanting more of her, more of how she felt like the only true thing among all the lies in him, around him. She pulled back and he stared at her grey eyes, her flushed cheeks, the way she was relaxed despite how rumpled her shirt was now.

"Why?"

"You looked like you needed a distraction." She smiled, "And I don't know. You're pretty cute."

He stared at her, she laughed lightly.

"Feel better?"

"Sure." He felt horny is what he felt.

"Let's go back to the others then, and maybe we can pick up again later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this is most definitely OOC but this popped into my head so I wrote it real fast in the parking lot of a supermarket? My bias for Jin being a mess is evident, as is my bias for women who are confident in kissing! So there we go.


	17. [G][Takeru/Yusaku] Common Sense & Intelligence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takeru isn't a genius, but that's fine, he doesn't need to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW vomit mention

"I'm home!" Takeru stepped into the entryway, depositing his backpack on the floor with a heavy  _thud_ before he slipped off his shoes. He frowned--usually Yusaku came to greet him. The lights were on... he was home--was he okay? 

He left his backpack where it was for the moment, walking into the living room to find Yusaku sitting at his computer, leaned back in his chair, hands over his face. 

 _Oh._  

Takeru knew exactly what this was. 

"Yusaku?" He kept his voice soft, turned off the lights and walked over to his boyfriend. He stood behind him, very gently rubbing his fingertips against Yusaku's temples. 

"Sorry." Yusaku murmured, lowering his hands to his sides, tension gradually leaving his face, "Head hurts." 

"Thought so." Takeru gave Yusaku's forehead a quick, light kiss, "Have you been working all day?" 

"I guess." 

"When's the last time you ate?"

"Dunno." 

Takeru frowned. That usually meant the last time they ate together which was... definitely a solid twenty-four hours ago at this point. He didn't see a glass of water at Yusaku's desk either. Sometimes, people had made comments that Yusaku could do better, date someone in his field or something similar, and Takeru thought he should probably be offended, but he wasn't really. Sure he wasn't the smartest, definitely a far cry in intelligence from Yusaku, but that was fine. He didn't need to be. 

He had seen Yusaku with his friends on occasion, a ton of way-too-smart-people talking about things that made Takeru's brain feel like it was oozing out of his ears, but then he'd be the only one in the room that would think about the simple things like food. Water. Sleep. Not working through a headache until it got so bad you couldn't function... 

 _For all the intelligence people can have, they sure could lack common sense._ But that was fine, it was a balance with him and Yusaku anyway. While Yusaku was definitely already on route to making a disgusting amount of money, and he was someone that made Takeru feel steady and safe--

"You need to eat something."

"Ugh." 

\--he could take care of Yusaku like this. He could keep track of these things. 

**/ / /**

Once Takeru had given Yusaku medication, food and water, and repeated that when Yusaku had thrown it all up, he put him to bed, he stayed with him for a bit until the tension left his face and he fell asleep. 

Quietly leaving the room, he went to his little section of the kitchen cabinets with the stuff Yusaku had once referred to as "jock supplies" and pulled out a meal bar and a spare water bottle. Looking at the flavor of this particular one, he was thankful that Yusaku's sense of taste was lacking. He filled up the water bottle, put the lid on it and left both items on Yusaku's desk. 

Maybe he couldn't understand a lot of the work Yusaku did, but he could do this--he could give Yusaku what he needed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEFINITELY INSPIRED BY EP 113 OR WHATEVER IT WAS WITH TAKERU REFLECTING A BIT ON HOW HE'S NOT A GENIUS AND THAT'S OKAY!


	18. [G][Takeru/Ryoken] What Are You? Poor?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryoken is sleeping on Takeru's couch and cannot comprehend why his apartment is so small.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a conversation with ravelqueen after this week's episode about the RAW POWER of TakeRyo and a very silly scenario in which Ryoken decides he's going to live on his own for like a month and flubs it within like six hours. Yusaku told him this was a bad idea so he can't crash with Yusaku, and he can't go home because he blew off all of Spectre's concerns and how can he face him after that? It would be embarrassing. Takeru was uninvolved in this conversation though, so it's fine if he sleeps on Takeru's couch (whether Takeru likes it or not). 
> 
> Anyway this drabble isn't particularly shippy but you should know that Takeru definitely has a crush on Ryoken that he's very baffled by, and Ryoken would NOT complain if Takeru kissed him on the mouth.

Takeru's apartment was the size of a shoe-box compared to what Ryoken was used to. It had one (small) bathroom, one (pathetic) kitchen, and the kitchen was the same room as the sorry excuse for a living area. The couch (that Ryoken was laying on) sort of divided the two, but not really. The couch was surprisingly comfortable, but also had a couple of stains on it, so it wasn't that great either. Takeru's didn't have a bedroom, just his bed shoved off into the corner with a dresser. Previously, there had been posters of Onizuka, Playmaker and Blue Angel on the wall, but they were gone now. There was a tiny table with two chairs that took up the rest of the space. 

The situation was absurd. Ryoken couldn't have imagined people living like this aside from Yusaku, but well, Yusaku was Yusaku. When queried about his living space, he just fixed Ryoken with that incredulous expression of his, cocked his head like he was genuinely confused, and said "It's fine?" 

Probably, there was something very wrong with Yusaku on an intrinsic level. But Ryoken wasn't his keeper, this wasn't his problem, Yusaku could live in his terrible excuse for a living space. It wasn't as though there was a point in trying to convince Yusaku to move somewhere better, even if Ryoken paid for it. There wasn't a problem to be fixed, so Yusaku had no interest in changing it. At least though, the Dark Ignis was there, for better or for worse, in that stupid SOLtiS body he had stolen. He suspected that if Yusaku were ever to move, it would be because of the Ignis' meddling, and no one else's. 

However with Takeru, Takeru was fairly normal despite the circumstances. He knew Takeru had grown up in a house (a proper one) and had been properly cared for.  _He_ did not have something wrong in his head that prevented him from seeing problems with ninety percent of things, and yet he lived in this pathetic little apartment that only divided off the bathroom into its own room. Why did he do that? He could live somewhere better, surely. Why did he pick  _this one._ Was he poor? Why was he poor? He wasn't an orphan like Spectre was. 

Ryoken wanted to say that this was the worst place he'd ever had to sleep (entirely his own fault), but he couldn't, because it wasn't. This was not a space built for two people, but it was better than a house built for a family that housed two people at most, and a room where a his only family had died. There weren't any cold spaces in this place, and not because it was spring. It didn't feel empty, even when Ryoken was the only one here. It didn't feel lonely either. 

So Ryoken couldn't complain  _too_ much. Maybe he would offer to finance a bigger space for Takeru, as thanks for letting him sleep on his couch. After he found out if and why Takeru was poor of course. 


End file.
